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m Leave the bottom third of your sheets blank to enable the students in the back of the class
to see the entire sheet.
You can refer to newsprint at a later date as a review (such as an agenda). For future
reference, display your newsprint in a corner of the room or by taping it to the side walls. Place
information you have already covered in the back of the room for students to review during
their break. Don’t clutter the walls with too much information.
Remove all unnecessary
newsprint to prevent distractions.
You can also use wall charts. They are relatively easy to prepare, and those made of heavy
poster board material last a long time. They are versatile in the classroom and easy to display
on poster board clips or the easel. By attaching magnetic strips on the back, they easily adhere
to most visual aids panels. You can use professionally prepared charts or make them yourself.
To make a wall chart, project an image from an opaque projector on the poster board; trace
the outline and then apply colors, titles, and labels as appropriate. Make titles and labels of
sufficient height for everyone in the class to see them.
Models, Mockups and Simulators
Models, mockups, and simulators make good sense for many training applications. They can
save time and reduce hazards while providing hands-on experience. At the very least, they
provide another form of learning reinforcement; at the most, they can help you illustrate and
explain things that otherwise would be difficult or dangerous. The model introduces accurate
and authentic realism into the learning situation. A model may be an enlargement, a reduction,
or the actual six. A scale model represents an exact reproduction of the original. Some models
are solid and show only the outline of the object they portray, while others are working models
(mockups). Mockups are three-dimensional working models. Use them for training or testing
in place of a real object that is too costly, too dangerous, or difficult to obtain.
A simulator is any device that has the form, sound, and even the appearance of the actual
equipment. Simulators allow the students to gain “hands-on” experience. You normally use
them when they are safer, less costly, or provide better instruction than the actual equipment.
Simulators provide a realistic setting and permit a high degree of transfer of learning when the
students switch to the actual equipment. Some examples are damage control wet trainers, flight
simulators, and submarine control simulators.
Chalkboard/Visual Aids Panel
Two very important visual aids are the chalkboard and visual aids panel (VAP). They are
probably the most frequently used visual training aids. You may use them at any time during
a lesson to display terms, definitions, examples, problems, drawings, or diagrams. Since most
chalkboards and VAPs have a metal backing, you may easily display information on them using
poster board with magnets attached. Their flexibility allows you to adapt them to almost any
instructional need. Since they are available in most classrooms, labs, and shops, they are an
excellent tool for recording student responses, encouraging class involvement, and note taking.
You can use the chalkboard/VAP when teaching almost any knowledge subject. The
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